Clutch mechanism



1931- M. H. BALLARD ET AL 1,834,082

CLUTCH MECHANI SM Original Filed May 28, 1926 Fig. l.

Patented Dec. 1, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MILTON E. BALLARD, OIBEVERLY, AND THOMAS H. SEELY, 0F MELBOSE, MASSACHU- SET'I'S, ASSIGNOBSTO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATEBSON. NEW JERSEY, ACORPORATION 01 NEW JERSEY CLUTCH MECHANISM Original application filedKay 88, 1928, Serial No; 112,279. Divided and this application filed Kay17, 1928. Serial No. 278,356.

This invention relates to clutch mechanisms and particularly to clutchmechanism organized to prevent the driven member from running ahead ofthe driving member.

The illustrated mechanism, as one practical application of theinvention, may be embodied in a heel-seat forming machine such as isdisclosed in our Letters Patent of the United States, No. 1,674,085,granted June 19, 1928, on an application of which this application is adivision.

Objects of the invention are to provide an improved clutch mechanismwhich will 0perate with certainty and uniformity and in which unduenoise, wear, and liability of breakage will be avoided.

In accordance with a feature of the invention, the illustratedembodiment of the invention comprises an improved construction includingouter and inner rings secured respectively to driving and drivenmembers, a main clutch located between the outer ring and the drivenmember for imparting rotation to the driven member in one direction, anda oneway clutch between the rings to prevent the driven member fromgoing faster than the driving member. As illustrated, the main clutch isarranged to impart a half revolution at a time to the driven member, andthe oneway clutch between the driven and driving members is a Hortonclutch arranged to pre-" vent over-running of the driven member withrespect to the driving member in either half revolution.

This invention is of special utility in machines in which, as in machineofthe type referred to, during the first-half revolution of the drivenmember, powerful springs are compressed which react during the secondhalf revolution to cause the driven member to become temporarily adriving member and cause it to run ahead of the normal driving member,with the result that the members which effect the disengagement of theclutch are violently brought together with objectionable shock noise,and liability of breakage of parts. l3y our invention the one-way clutchacts immediately to connect the driven member, when it tends to runahead of the driving member, to the driving member and hence tends torotate the driving member faster in the direction in which it isrunning. The driving member and power shaft or motor with which it isconnected thus absorb the energy ofthe reacting springs or the like andact as a brake on the overthrow of the driven member.

' Another feature of the invention consists, in a clutch mechanismarranged to start and stop a machine every half revolution, of means forsimultaneously adjusting both stopped positions and means for adjustingone of the stopped positions independently of the other.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a clutch meghanism embodying the presentinvention, an

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in section, of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

The illustrated clutch mechanism for imparting half revolutions to adriven member and preventing overrunning of the driven member comprisesa fixed shaft 8 on which is mounted for rotation a driving member 10 towhich is fixed a ring 12 having teeth 14 on its outer periphery whichcooperate with a pawl 16 on a driven member 18, also mounted on theshaft 8. On the driven member is an eccentric 20 or other means forimparting motion to the machine in which the mechanism is installed. Thepawl 16 is pivoted at 22 to the driven member 18 and is urged toward theteeth 14: by a spring 24. A main clutchcontrolling member 26 has acentral opening by which it is mounted on a reduced portion 28 of thedriven member 18 for rotation therewith and for partial rotationrelatively thereto. To limit rotation of the member 26 relatively to thedriven member 18, the member 26 is provided with a slot 30 which isengaged by a projection 32 on the driven member 18, and a spring plunger34 is provided in the member 26 at one end of the slot 30 to lessen theshock of contact of the end of the slot with the projection 32. Theclutch-controlling member 26 has two projections 36, 38, which arearranged about 180 degrees from each other and one or the other of whichis normally in engagement with a stop lever 40 having a fixed pivot at42. At the end of the lever 40 is a contact piece 41 having a stem 43which is secured by a clamp screw 45 in the end ofthe lever foradjustment lengthwise of the lever. Adjustment of the contact piece 41lengthwise of the lever varies the point at which the machine will stopwhen the projections 36, 38 engage it.

The member 26 carries a pawl-lifting cam piece 44 which, in the stoppedposition of the machine, engages the pawl 16 and holds it out of enagement with the teeth 14. At this time, 0 course, the stop lever 40 isin engagement with one of the pro ections 36, 38, as shown in Fig. 2.When t e lever 40 is moved on its pivot 42 away from the projection 36,a spring 46 connected between the member 26 and a pin 48 on the drivenmember 18 acts to rotate the clutch-controlling member 26 in thedirection of rotation of the drivingmember 10 and to cause the cam piece44 to move awa from engagement with the pawl 16, perm tting the spring24 to move the pawl into engagement with one of the teeth 14, whereuponrotation will be imparted to the driven member 18 by the driving member10.

After the starting of the machine as described, the lever 40 is allowedto dro back to its normal position, as shown in i 2, so" that when,after half a revolution 0 the driven member, the projection 38 engagesthe lever 40, the cam piece 44 will be arrested and, as movement of thedriven member 18 continues, the cam piece 44 will engage the pawl 16 andmove it out of engagement with that one of the teeth 14 with which it hapens to be in contact, thus disconnecting the riven member 18 from thedrivin member 10. Movement of the driven mem er 18 is thus arrested andthe machine brought to a stop.

Should the driven member 18 tend to run ahead of the driving member whenthe machine is restarted, due to the reaction of heavy springs in themachine which have previously been compressed, or for any other reason,such movement is prevented by the following mechanism: Fixed to thedriven member 18 by pins 50 is a ring 52 having, as shown, three notchesin its outer periphery. The inner ring 52 fits inside the outer ring 12and in each of the notches of the inner ring 52 is a roll 54 and aspring plunger 56 which engages the roll and tends to hold it pinched inthe angle between one side 58 of the notch and the inner periphery ofthe outer ring 12. This construction constitutes a one-way roller clutchwhich permits rotation of the driving member in the direction of driverelatively to the driven member and prevents rotation of the drivenmember in the direction of drive relatively to the driving member.Consequently, if the driven member tends, for any reason, to rotatefaster than the driving member, the one-way clutch acts to connect thedrive is imparted to the driving member to cause it to rotate faster inthe direction of the drive. The driving member thus acts as a brake orretarder to such rotation of the driven member and preventsobjectionable clashing of the projections 36, 38 against the stop lever40 and consequent wear and liability of breakage.

In order that the position at which the machine stops when the rejection38 engages the stop lever 40 may varied, the proection 38 is madeadjustable tangentially of its path of rotation. The projection 38 isformed as a block having slidmg contact with a surface 60 on the member26 and through the block 38 is threaded a screw 62 which is rotatablymounted in a projection 64 on the member 26. By rotating the screw theblock 38 may be adjusted tangentially of its ath of rotation to vary thepoint at which t e'machine stops when the block engages the stop lever40. Accidental rotation of the screw is prevented by a. cotter pin 66.Adjustment of the block 38 varies one of the stopped positions of thedriven member 18 withoutafi'ecting the other stopped position of thedriven member, which is determined by adjustment of the contact piece 41lengthwise of the lever 40. Of course, adjustment of the contact piece41 varies both stopped positions but when this is adjusted properly forthe stopped position when the projection 36 engages the stop lever, theblock 38 may be adjusted to vary the stopped osition when it engages thelever without a ecting the other sto ped position.

aving thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a clutch mechanism, the combination of a driving member, an outerring secured to the driving member, a driven member, an inner ringsecured to the driven member and located inside said outer ring, aone-way clutch between the adjacent surfaces of said rlngs to preventrotation of the driven ring relatively to the driving ring in thedirection of drive, a one-way clutch between the driven member and theouter ring to cause rotation of the driven member by the driving member,and means for operating said clutch to connect the driven member to anddisconnect it from the driving member.

2. In a clutch mechanism, the combination of a driving member, an outerring secured to the driving member, said ring having outer peripheralteeth and a smooth inner surface, a driven member, an inner ring securedto the driven member, said ring being located inside the outer ring andhaving notches on its outer periphery, roll clutch elements located inthe notches of the inner ring and adapted to engage the outer ring toprevent relative rotation of the rings in one direction, a pawl on thedriven member arranged to engage the teeth of the outer ring, the pawland teeth being disposed so as to prevent relative rota tion of thedriving and driven members in the other direction, and means foroperating the pawl to control movement of the driven member by thedriving member.

3. In a clutch mechanism, the combination of a driving member, an outerring secured to the driving member, said ring having outer peripheralteeth and a smooth inner surface, a driven member, an inner ring securedto the driven member and located inside the outer ring, clutch elementslocated between the inner surface of the outer ring and the outersurface of the inner ring to prevent rotation of the inner ringrelatively to the outer ring in the direction of drive, a pawl on thedriven member arranged to engage the teeth on the outer ring to effectrotation of the driven member with the outer ring, and pawl liftingmeans for disengaging the pawl from the outer ring to permit rotation ofthe outer ring relatively tothe driven member in the direction of drive.

4;. In a clutch mechanism, the combination of a driving member, a drivenmember, a clutch for causing a half revolution at a time to be impartedto the driven member by the driving member, means for varying both ofthe stopped positions of the driven member, and separate means forvarying one of the stopped positions of the driven member withoutaffecting the other stopped position.

5. In a clutch mechanism, the combination of a driving member, a drivenmember, a clutch, a stop arm, a clutch controller having two stopprojections for engaging the stop arm in turn to cause a half revolutionat a time to be imparted to the driven member by the driving member,means on the stop arm for varying the stopped positions of the drivenmember, and separate means on the controller for varying one of thestopped positions oi the driven member without affecting the otherstopped position.

6. In a elnteh mechanism, the combination of a driving member having aportion comprising an outer ring with a toothed periphcry, a. drivenmember, a pawl on the driven member arranged to engage the teeth of theouter ring to etleet rotation of the driven member by the drivingmember, a pawl-lifting cam arranged on the driven member for rotationtherewith and for partial rotation relatively thereto. a stop lever forarresting rotation of the pawl-li l'ting earn to cause the pawl to belifted, a spring for rotating the (rain relatively to the driven memberwhen the, ram is released by the. stop lever, an inner ring 1-H thedriven member located in the

